PROPAGATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1926 443 



made it possible to conserve many millions of eggs which would 

 otherwise have gone to market in the fish and been wasted. Besides 

 assisting the bureati to collect the eggs, many of the fishermen have 

 given the use of their boats during the spring months for the purpose 

 of distributing the fry on suitable reefs on the natural spawning 

 grounds. 



Very unusual conditions were experienced at the Woods Hole 

 (Mass.) station, in that it proved impossible to obtain a brood stock 

 of cod as a source of eg^ supply. Cod failed to appear on their usual 

 spawning grounds, and it was not considered feasible to charter a 

 boat to transport brood fish from more remote fields to the hatchery. 

 Under such conditions no cod eggs were available for propagation at 

 this station. 



As in past years, spawn takers were placed on the commercial 

 fishing boats operating in fields at a considerable distance from shore 

 during the spring months. Since these boats are absent from the 

 home port for several days on each trip, all eggs thus collected must 

 be fertilized and immediately returned to the native spawning 

 grounds. The object of this work is to prevent the enormous waste 

 of eggs which would otherwise result when dressing the fish for the 

 market. 



The bureau has continued its policy of refusing to issue counter- 

 signed permits allowing gill-net fishermen to fish for shad in the 

 restricted territory above the railroad bridge at Edenton, N. C. 

 It became apparent, from the small number of eggs obtained from 

 the gill-net fishermen in former years, that greater results might 

 be expected if the shad were permitted to spawn naturall3^ A num- 

 ber of gill-net and pound-net fishermen operating in other sections 

 have cooperated with the bureau by furnishing considerable numbers 

 of shad and herring eggs. 



The decline of the shad in the Potomac River in recent years 

 has been very marked, and it is evident that it will be necessary to 

 enact and enforce very stringent legislation if this important fishery 

 is to be maintained. 



Part 1.— FISH PRODUCTION: PROPAGATION AND RESCUE 



WORK 



TABULAR SUMMARIES OF OPERATIONS 



SPECIES OF FISHES HANDLED 



During the fiscal year 1925 the fish-cultural work of the bureau, 

 including artificial propagation and rescue work, involved the hand- 

 hng of 48 species of fishes, as follows : 



list of species handled 

 Catfishes (Silurid^^e) : 



Blue catfish {Idalurus furcatus) . 



Channel catfish {Idalurus pundatus). 



Horned pout, bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus). 



Mud catfish {Leptops olivaris). 

 Suckers (Catostomid^) : 



Common buffalo fish {Idiohus cyprinella). 



Smallmouth buffalo fish {Idiohus bubalus). 

 Carps (Cyprinid^) : Germau carp {Cyprinus carpio) . 



